Pilaf is the most revered dish in Uzbekistan. Not a single significant event in Uzbek families passes without pilaf. As the Uzbeks say: "We are born with pilaf, we marry with pilaf and die with it." Uzbek pilaf is known all over the world and is even included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Each region of Uzbekistan has its own peculiarities of making pilaf, and family recipes are passed down from generation to generation.
It is necessary
- - meat (lamb with fat tail fat or beef) - 1 kg;
- - rice (variety "Devzira", long-grain, not steamed or round-grain "Krasnodar") - 900 g;
- - carrots - 1 kg;
- - onions - 5 pcs.;
- - chickpeas - 200 g;
- - garlic - 1 head;
- - vegetable oil - 200 - 300 ml;
- - zira;
- - salt;
- - cauldron.
Instructions
Step 1
Pilaf must be cooked in a good mood! And inspiration!
Step 2
Rinse chickpeas and soak in hot water one hour before cooking.
Step 3
Traditionally, they take lamb with fat tail fat for pilaf. But you can also cook with beef. It is good if there are fat layers in the meat. Rinse the meat and cut into large pieces. Peel the onions and carrots. Cut the onion into half rings. Chop the carrots into cubes, only with a knife, without using a grater.
Step 4
Preheat the cauldron. If you are cooking lamb pilaf and have fat tail fat, cut it into cubes. As soon as the cauldron warms up well, throw in the bacon and fry until all the fat is melted. Remove the greaves (they are very tasty with salt!). Add some vegetable oil to the cauldron and heat it well. In Uzbekistan, pilaf is usually cooked in cottonseed oil. But since cottonseed oil is difficult to find, sunflower oil is also suitable. If you have beef, then just pour the oil into a preheated cauldron, wait until it warms up well.
Step 5
Put the meat in a cauldron and fry it until golden brown. Once the meat is browned, add the onion and sauté for 15 minutes. Place the carrots in the cauldron. Mix everything together and fry until the carrots are half cooked. Drain the chickpeas and rinse. By this time, it is already swollen enough. Add it to the cauldron.
Step 6
Take boiling water and pour it into the cauldron so that the water barely covers the contents of the cauldron. Reduce the temperature a little and close the cauldron with a lid. Boiled water combined with meat and vegetables is called "Zirvak". Zirvak is being prepared from 50 to 80 minutes. And the longer, the tastier the pilaf will turn out.
Step 7
As soon as the cooking time of the zirvak comes to an end, remove the first layer of husk from the garlic without breaking the head. It must remain intact. Place the garlic in the zirvak. Take a few pinches of cumin, rub lightly with your fingers to make its aroma more intense, and toss it into the cauldron. Put in the salt. Taste it. It is necessary that the zirvak be slightly salty. Otherwise, the rice will absorb all the salt, and the pilaf will turn out to be practically unsalted. Continue cooking the zirvak at a moderate temperature.
Step 8
If you are using long grain rice, you must first soak it in cold water for 30 minutes. Transfer the rice to a large deep bowl and rinse. Rinse until the water is completely clear. Bring the zirvak to a boil, remove the garlic and carefully add the rice, distribute it evenly over the surface. Do not mix zirvak with rice! Return the garlic to the cauldron, slightly pressing it into the middle.
Step 9
The main task is to ensure that all the water boils away as soon as possible. Therefore, increase the temperature to the maximum. As soon as the water boils, use a slotted spoon to move the rice from the sides to the middle so that the water evaporates faster on the sides. Take a wooden spoon or spatula and use a pen to poke several holes in the rice to evaporate the water even faster.
Step 10
As soon as all the water has evaporated, reduce the temperature under the cauldron to the very minimum and cover with a lid. The cooking time depends primarily on the type of rice, on average 20-25 minutes. After the time has elapsed, open the lid and taste the rice. If the rice is ready, remove the cauldron. Use a slotted spoon to mix the rice with meat, carrots and chickpeas well.
Step 11
Put the finished Uzbek pilaf on a large dish and invite everyone to the table. Serve a salad of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers with pilaf, and brew a large teapot of tea.
